Judge: E. Tenn. city can change name to Rocky Top

POSTED:May 29, 2014 8:34 a.m.

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A federal judge has given a tiny East Tennessee town the go-ahead to change its name to Rocky Top.

A development group has promised to turn Lake City into a tourist mecca if it goes through with the name change. The plan is to cash in on the fame of the song "Rocky Top," which was made famous by the Osborne Brothers.

But Gatlinburg-based House of Bryant, which owns the rights to the song and multiple Rocky Top trademarks, sued and asked a judge to stop the name change.

The Knoxville News Sentinel (http://bit.ly/1tTcOpS) reports a judge ruled Wednesday it would be "unlikely" the city would use the name in commerce, and so it would not infringe on trademark statutes. He also said House of Bryant failed to show it would suffer irreparable harm.